Ivy League education consultant charged with fraud

A Los Angeles man was charged today in federal court with allegedly defrauding clients of his educational consulting firm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Mark J. Zimny, formerly of Cambridge, was indicted on multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering. He faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors allege Zimny operated IvyAdmit Consulting Associates, an educational consulting firm that helps international applicants apply to “top” American universities and boarding schools. Zimny, who falsely claimed to be an assistant professor at Harvard University, allegedly told his clients that their children would improve their prospect of admission to certain schools if they made sizeable gifts of development contributions to the schools, through Zimny, during the application process, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Zimny allegedly used the funds, totaling over $600,000, for his own purposes, prosecutors said.